


snitches and talkers

by frogmango



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Femslash February
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-21 18:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17647547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frogmango/pseuds/frogmango
Summary: Sae Nijima pays Tae a visit. She finds herself with a choice to make.





	snitches and talkers

**Author's Note:**

> day 5 of femslash february! prompt: "sharp"

"I appreciate your assistance in this matter." Sae said, crossing her arms. "I needed someone I could trust, and with not much to lose - no offense."

Tae removed her lollipop from her mouth with a pop. "Yeah, don't mention it." she said. She had been rather surprised at the arrival of her old friend at the clinic, and even more surprised when she had requested her help. She didn't exactly have a backlog of patients though, so as far as she was concerned this was better than sitting around wasting her time. "So what exactly is it you need from me?"

Sae sighed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "As you might know, I've been rather busy of late tracking down a high-profile criminal. After trailing him for quite a while, he finally got sloppy. He left this behind at the crime scene." she said. Reaching into her suit pocket, she pulled out a small ziploc bag containing what Tae immediately recognized as one of her original remedies. Interesting.

"I was hoping you'd have an idea of who purchased this. Once again, I mean no offense, but you don't exactly have an outpouring of clients." Sae said. Tae suppressed a snort. That was an understatement. She took the bag from Sae, taking a closer look at its contents. One glance confirmed what she already suspected: it was her newest formula. And only one person besides herself had access to that. _"Guess that explains how he can afford to keep stocking up on my medicines."_ Tae thought with some amusement. The question was, where did she go from here? She had to admit, she was kind of rooting for the Phantom Thieves. They kept things interesting, and as far as she was concerned the less corrupt politicians that hung around the better. Not only that, she didn't want to lose her best customer. The kid was nice - had a sharp tongue on him, but still nice. But she doubted she could get away with lying to Sae's face. _"Dammit, kid. Now look at the trouble you've gotten me in."_ she thought.

Trying to keep her casual composure, Tae slipped the lollipop back into her mouth. "Mm. This is one of my better-selling remedies. I've had a handful of people buy them - couldn't really point you to one that seemed more criminal-y than the others." she said, leaning against the wall. 

"I see." Sae said, furrowing her brow. "This is still the best lead we have, though. Would you mind giving me their names? I can take care of things from there." 

Tae frowned. "Nope. That'd be a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality. I've got enough problems on my hand without a lawsuit on top of them." she said. This part wasn't a lie - she wasn't looking to get herself into legal trouble at the moment. She'd had enough of that for a lifetime.

Sae suddenly closed the distance between them, her face an inch from Tae's. She tried to take a step back, but her back was already to the wall. "And... Is there any way I could... _persuade_ you to volunteer that information?" she said softly, looking Tae directly in the eyes.

"I... No. Patient confidentiality is final." Tae said, taken aback. On some level, she should have expected this. Sae knew all her weaknesses, after all - the biggest of which was Sae hereself.

"Are you... sure about that?" Sae whispered, brushing her lips against Tae's neck. Her breath hitched, and she'd never wanted to blurt out the truth so bad; stitches and walkers be damned. But to give up the kid would go against what few morals she had. She at least owed him a heads up. Swallowing, Tae steeled herself and shook her head. "No, Nijima. I'd do a lot of things for you. But not this." she said.

Sighing, Sae removed her arm from the wall next to Tae's head and backed away. "I had a feeling you might say that. You always were stubborn about the most peculiar things." she said, crossing her arms. "You do understand how hard you're making my job, right?"

Tae slowly stood up straight, crossing her arms as well. "You're not exactly making mine easy, either. That was a dirty trick, Nijima." she scolded with a frown.

Sae ran a hand through her hair. "I know. But you must understand that things are down to the wire here. My boss will have my head if I don't bring this guy in." she said. 

"Yeah." Tae nodded. "I wish I could help you. I really do. For more reasons than one." At that, she shot Sae a grin. "But I really can't tell you anything. Sorry. You'll just have to find another lead." Throwing the stick of her now finished lollipop in the trash, Tae crossed the room and opened the door. "With your skills, I don't doubt you'll find one."

"Complimenting me to soften the blow? Very unlike you. You're not the type to let people down easy." Sae said with a smile. "But I get the message. I'll be on my way." She picked up her bag from the exam room chair and began to head out the door. Then she paused. "If I don't find another lead soon, expect another visit. I'll be sure to bring more... dirty tricks." She shot Tae a playful smirk before leaving the exam room and closing the door behind her. 

_"Snitches get stitches, snitches get stitches, snitches get stitches."_ Tae repeated to herself, fighting the urge to call Sae back. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing pulse. She should probably warn the kid that they were hot on his trail - maybe re-label some of the remedies she was selling him, alter her inventory records, that sort of thing. Next time he visited, she'd tell him to watch his back. And maybe charge him a fee for all this damn trouble.

That damn Nijima. Her tongue was just as sharp as it was in college. And it was fairly clear her skills hadn't gotten rusty, either. Ugh. Face in hands, Tae collapsed into her chair. That kid had better make this all worth it. 


End file.
